Cherry Blossoms in Edo
by Dark McCloud
Summary: Set when the group first arrives in Edo. Nothing much to say, Benitora's reflection on his new lover, who reminds him of his fallen comrad White Crow. A little humor thrown in, rated for Kyo's foul mouth. BenitoraOC, One-shot


BenitoraOC, One-shot. Some implied YuyaKyo, but nothing major. I wouldn't boycott the fic because of it, it can easily be ignored. J Enjoy.

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Cherry Blossoms In Edo

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"Our village is blessed to have three great warriors like you protect us in our time of peril. Please, tell me if there is any way I can possibly repay your services," the village leader said, looking at Kyo, Yukimura, and Jaye.

Both Kyo and Jaye "Hn-ed" at the same time, then looked at each other in surprise. Then, they both turned away, arms folded, and walked off.

"True samurai they are," Yukimura commented, studying their retreating backs, while the village elder looked at him in surprise. "They are alike in more ways than they realize." Yukimura shook his head, then turned to the village elder and smiled. "So...who's up for some sake?"

oOo

Mahiro crouched, studying Yukimura's back, calculating her attack. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" an icy voice said from behind her. The Iga Ninja whirled around to see Benitora standing, arms crossed, hazel eyes mere slits in his shadowed face. Recognition registered in her brain and she dropped to one knee.

"My lord," she croaked in surprise while Benitora continued to glare.

"Whatever," he said, waving her off non-chantly. "Why do ya bother chasing Kyo anyway? Ya know you're just warranting your own death. And why would you be lookin' for me?" he said suddenly, studying her. "Lemme guess, 'Tousan?" _Man, gotta stay out of Edo,_ he thought to himself.

"Your Lord Father requests that you track the movements of Onime no Kyo and that twin-bladed Samurai Girl." Benitora's eyes narrowed further at the mention of Jaye, but he kept silent. "In return, he wants you to rule his Kingdom."

Benitora nearly jumped out of his skin. "NANI!" he yelled. "He wants ME to rule?" He chuckled to himself. "And here I thought I was disowned..." Regaining his threatening composure once more, he said, "You tell that fool father of mine that I follow Kyo-han, Jaye-han, Yuya-han, and all the others cause I WANT to. I ain't no messenger boy."

With that he turned to go, then tilted his head backward and said in the most sinister voice, "And if you so much as lay a finger on Jaye, I'll kill you." He flashed his hand knife to prove a point.

Mahiro shuddered.

"Cause man if I don't love that girl! Love, sweet LOOOOOOOVE!" Mahiro thought for a moment that she had imagined that sinister side of the Red Tiger as it was replaced with his normal shameless flirtatious attitude. She bowed once more and was gone.

"Tora," came another voice.

"Aw damn who is it now?" Benitora grouched, turning around again. "Oh...Yuya-han! You heard! I...um..."

She rested her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Benitora...I'm happy that you love Jaye. Because you see...last night Kyo and I...um..." He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Well I can't exactly compete with a thousand-man slayer can I?"

Yuya laughed as they both headed back for the inn. "Jaye...she's everything you've ever wanted, in a woman. Isn't she?"

Benitora froze.

"She reminds you of White Crow," Yuya stated, stopping also and tapping her finger with her chin. "She's a fighter with a fiery temper, ties a great knot, and has such a nice body. She's what you've been searching for, and I see that now." The bounty huntress smiled and patted his head. "And she has a two-thousand ryou bounty! Maybe I can turn you two in together!" Her face took on a calculating expression and Benitora sweatdropped.

oOo

Kyo stood by the window of the inn, while Jaye sat cross-legged against the wall, her arms folded across her chest and her two blades carefully laid in front of her. Neither spoke, until Kyo decided that the silence in the room compared to the festivities outside was annoying him. "Yukimura appears to be having a good time," he said, twitching slightly at the noise from the window.

Jaye said nothing. Kyo tried glaring, but her eyes were closed, face a neutral mask of slumber. "DAMMIT ONNA DON'T FALL ASLEEP ON ME!" he said, drawing his katana and swinging at her.

He froze as he heard the all-to-familiar 'clang' as it hit another blade. She had pulled out one of her own katanas and blocked his hit with it, barely eight suun out of its saya. "I wasn't asleep," she said calmly, sheathing the sword once more and returning it to its resting place on the floor.

"Your eyes were closed and your breathing was even, what the hell was I supposed to think?"

"That I was meditating."

"MEDITATING!" Kyo yelled. "Who tries to reach Nirvana in the middle of a fucking FIASCO!"

Jaye glared at him. Kyo returned the glare with a counter-glare, which Jaye countered with a counter-counter-glare. The glaring contest would have gone on all night, but Yuya and Benitora opened the door right then. The two warriors were at each others throats, as usual, each with one katana drawn. Kyo swung, and Jaye dodged, appearing behind him. The now-enraged manslayer whirled around and swung again, and Jaye dodged again.

Yuya and Benitora watched as this went on for quite some time, and Yukimura joined them shortly after. But the noise outside appeared to be messing with Kyo's maai, because a slender hand-knife embedded itself in the sleeve of his robe, narrowly missing his right arm.

"HA! You missed bitch!" Kyo laughed, not noticing the evil gleam in Jaye's eyes.

"Did I?" she asked in a low voice, one hand held out. It was then, a few seconds too late, that Kyo noticed the talisman tied onto the knife hilt. "FLARE!"

Kyo tore off his kimono, throwing it onto the ground and jumping on it to put out the fire. Benitora and Yukimura burst into laughter, and Yuya found herself snickering as well. Kyo glared back at Jaye, who was smirking quite evilly. "DAMN YOU WENCH!"

oOo

After Kyo had calmed down, the five had resumed relatively normal positions. Jaye was back to meditating against the wall, Kyo was scowling at his scorched kimono, Yuya was polishing her gun, Yukimura was downing sake by the jug, and Benitora was adjusting his weapon. They stayed this way until Kyo, fed up with the noise outside, grabbed Yuya by the arm and pulled her to the door.

"Where the hell are you two going?" Jaye asked, opening one eye. Yukimura put down his jug and Benitora looked up from his spear.

"Well, since I can't meditate my way to a higher plane of existence, where there is no noise, I'm going to have to find some other way to keep myself occupied." With this, he smirked at Yuya and left the temple, leaving his three companions staring at his back.

Benitora shook his head. "I hope Yuya knows how BIG the situation is." Jaye and Yukimura stared at him in shock.

oOo

Night had fallen, and the shards landed on Kyo's head. The said samurai was still out with Yuya doing Kami-knows-what, Yukimura was passed out from all the sake, and Benitora was dozing lightly on a futon. Cracking open one eye, he studied his surroundings and one thought echoed in his mind. _Where's Jaye?_

Rising, he attempted to question Yukimura, but after getting "GOLDFISH!" as an answer, gave up. "I should have known no good comes from Yukimura and sake in the same room," he muttered, stepping over the passed out man and leaving.

"I can eat them every day! And my mom says that's ok!" Yukimura slurred behind him, and Benitora quickened his pace out of the temple.

oOo

He walked for a while, hands shoved in his pockets. As he walked, Benitora found himself lost in his thoughts. _Did I really mean what I said back there, to Mahiro? Do I really love Jaye?_ He pondered this question for a minute. What Yuya had said was accurate. Jaye did remind him of his fallen comrade White Crow. She had an immense sense of honor, and even fought twin bladed. He still found himself missing White Crow. Even though they did a lot of solo work, the Three Color Gang seemed like his family, when in truth, he had none. Sure by blood he was a Tokugawa, but by heart, he was no one. A rogue with no ties; if he were a samurai, he would be a rouroni (wandering samurai).

oOo

Jaye sat in a clearing, underneath a sakura (cherry blossom) tree. Her long black hair was loose and blowing gently in the breeze. She absently reached up and pushed some of it out of her face, frowning as it blew back. But before she could push it away again, someone else did it for her. She whirled around, and her pale purple eyes met Benitora's amber ones.

"Oh…hi 'Tora," she said in a soft alto voice, shifting her eyes back to the moon.

He said nothing for the moment, just sat down next to her and followed her gaze. "So beautiful," he sighed, twisting his hand in her soft hair.

"Yes, the moon is lovely tonight."

Benitora chuckled slightly as Jaye completely missed the point he was trying to get across. "I wasn't referring to the moon."

Jaye turned to him. "Then what where you—"

He cut her off by pressing his lips against her. Her pale eyes widened as both his hands cradled her face gently, but she never pulled away. She found her own hands palm down against the ground, supporting her body as she arched her back, pressing closer to him, surrendering to his sweet kiss.

Slowly, gently, he pulled away, staring her in the eye one more.

"'Tora," she said breathlessly.

He smiled and pulled a sakura blossom out of her hair, looking at it for a moment in a memory of White Crow. Then, looking down, he realized that he didn't need the blossoms to remember his fallen comrade. Jaye did a good enough job of that.

"I love you."

He had found the answer he was looking for.

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Author's note: OK, OK, so I had sworn to myself that I wasn't really going to do too many more self insertions. I've found that readers don't enjoy them as much. But hey, I found this little gem done up to Yukimura's "I can eat them ever day! And my mom says that's ok!", and I decided since I haven't written too much lately, that I'd finish it up. Please don't flame too badly J And by the way, Jaye is not a Mary Sue. I don't have black hair and purple eyes. In fact I have brown hair and brown eyes, if you really wanted to know. -

That being said, please review and tell me what you think. Flame only in moderation, please. o.O

PS- Yes, I did take some scenes directly out of the fourth (or was it the fifth?) manga volume, such as Benitora's meeting with Mahiro. I did that on purpose, to make it seem as if this story would fit into the plotline. So that's the setting, if anyone was wondering.


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